Collateral Damage Daily for August 2

Rafael Furcal remains out of the lineup with low back soreness that has progressed to his upper leg. He may need a trip to the DL. In 2007, he was diagnosed with a bulging disc and the injury has likely progressed since then. … Michael Cuddyer was out of the lineup with oblique soreness. He’s day-to-day. … Brandon Phillips may be able to avoid the DL but is still expected to miss several more days. … Mike Aviles could be heading to the DL soon if Tuesday’s injection does not help. He has been out since Saturday with turf toe and the resulting inflammation, which can be very stubborn and resistant to treatment. … Bobby Valentine said that he does not expect Josh Beckett to end up on the DL, but we’ve heard that before. We will have to see how Beckett responds to treatment over the next few days. … Jordan Zimmerman will have his next start pushed back because of minor shoulder inflammation.

Additions

Devin Mesoraco suffered a concussion in his collision with Cameron Maybin on Monday but stayed in the game initially. He only left after being ejected by the home plate umpire for coming into contact with said umpire. He then played in Tuesday’s game but had to leave with dizziness that was thought to be related to the heat. Further testing revealed the concussion, and Mesoraco was placed on the DL on Wednesday. Dioner Navarro was called up to take Mesoraco’s roster spot.

Jair Jurrjens was placed on the 15-day DL yesterday with a right groin strain, which he felt during his relief appearance on the 31st. Relief pitchers with groin strains average around 37 days on the DL, but Jurrjens is expected to return earlier than that.

Daniel Nava was placed on the 15-day DL yesterday with a sprained left wrist. The move was retroactive to July 29, but we haven’t gotten much more information than that. If Nava has a simple sprain, it could cost him just the minimum. Unfortunately, wrist sprains average around 34 days for outfielders, so he could be out for a while. In the interim, Ryan Lavarnway was called up to take Nava’s spot on the roster.

Subtractions

Brent Morel was activated from the 15-day DL after spending the last 75 days recovering from pain and inflammation related to a bulging disc. Initially described as a lumbar strain, Morel needed the most amount of time on the DL for third basemen without needing surgery—a full month more than the average 43 days. Since the White Sox acquired Kevin Youkilis, Morel was optioned to Charlotte.

Wil Nieves was activated from the 15-day DL after recovering from turf toe and was designated for assignment. Nieves was on the roster in a backup role to Wilin Rosario when Ramon Hernandez was injured. Now that Hernandez is healthy, Nieves was not needed.

Hector Sanchez is expected to be activated today after spending 15 days recovering from a sprained left knee. The injury was never believed to be a major one, and he’s expected to return in his previous role as Buster Posey’s backup.